Wonderful Things
by Refreshingly Original
Summary: Do you believe at the end of something dark, something good can come to afront? A new friendship begins at the end of the darkness.
1. You

Wonderful Things

Slowly you walk down the pathway as if you expect someone to jump out and scare you. You feel you should be overjoyed that the war is over, but you're not. You can't be. Too many had died because of it. You just want be alone, escape all the stares, the cries of people mourning.

You step down off the final step and stop. Someone has already beaten you to seclusion. You watch as they stand near the edge of the lake and stare at the water lapping at their feet.

Minutes later, you walk down and stand next to them. Neither of you speak. She watches the water, you watch the wind. You think of what you've gone through, but then you realize that it is nothing compared to what she has gone through. You lower your arms to your side and pause before grasping her hand firmly.

She turns to look at you, but you continue to watch the leaves moves from the wind. Slowly, she turns back to watch the water again. You feel her squeeze your hand and you tighten your grip in response. You stand in silence, holding her hand in your own.

When you hear her ragged breaths, you turn to look at her see her tears. Gently you pull her into your arms and hold her as if she was made of glass. She clings to you and cries.

You think to yourself that you had never seen her cry before. You think that she must trust you to let her guard down in front of you.

Soon her body stops shaking from her sobs and you begin to pull away, but she stops you. "No. Please." You hesitate at her plea, but you give in and pull her back.

After standing still, for what seems to be hours to you, she pulls back and wipes away the last tears that linger. She laughs nervously and looks you.

"Thank you, Harry." She says to you.

You smile and shake your head. "We all need someone to cry on Professor."  
"Minerva." She says, and turns back to watch the water.

You blink in surprise. "Ah, Min-Minerva?"  
She turns to face you with one of her rare smiles. "Minerva McGonnagall." She says and holds out her hand.

You lift your eyebrow in question, but take her hand firmly. "Harry. Just Harry."  
Her smile widen and you smile back. This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.


	2. Harry

I walk down the familiar pathway cautiously. Even though Voldemort is dead, some of his followers are still free. I feel like I should be happy that the war is finally over, but it just doesn't feel right. Too many of my friends have died because of the war. All I want at the moment is to be left alone, to escape all the stares and cries of the people mourning the loss of loved ones.

I step off the last step, still thinking about all the good people who have died. I walk forward one step and stop. Someone had beaten me to the lake. It's a girl, even at this distance I can tell. She's standing at the edge of the lake, staring at the water moving just in front of her shoes.

I realize that I've been standing here for what seems like hours, but only minutes, before I walk down and stand beside her.

Neither of us speak. She watches the water, me, the wind. I think that I've been through a lot in the last seven years, but compared to what she's been through, I can't really complain. Slowly I uncross my arms and lower them to my side. I pause for a second, thinking if this was such a good idea, but I decide it is and move to hold her hand.

She looks at me, but I continue to watch the leaves move from the wind. Slowly she turns back to the water and I feel a small squeeze of my hand. I tighten my grip in return and stand silently, still holding her hand in my own.

Hearing her uneven breathing, I turn to face her for the first time and see the tears rolling down her cheeks. Carefully I pull her into my arms and hold her as she cries.

'I've never seen her cry before.' I think. 'She must trust me a fair bit if she's crying in front of me.' Soon her body stops shaking and I start to pull away.

"No. Please."

I hesitate at her almost silent plea, but I pull her back and hold on to her tightly.

I hold her securely for what feels like forever, before she pulls back and wipes away the tears. She laughs and looks at me.

"Thank you Harry." She says.

I smile and shake my head. "We all need someone to cry on Professor."

"Minerva." She says and turns back to watch the water again.

I blink. That was a surprise I didn't see coming. "Ah, Min-Minerva?"

She turns around and holds out her hand with a smile. "Minerva McGonnagall."

Taking her hand firmly, I shake it. "Harry. Just Harry."

Her smile widens and I can't help but smile in return. This was the beginning of something great.


	3. You II

You stand there waiting for merlin only knows what, while everyone else is up in the Great Hall celebrating the final down fall of Voldemort. You stand there with your arms crossed as you stare at the edge of the lake at your feet. You must have been standing there for hours, but you know that it's only been half an hour since you walked to the lake and stopped.

While you stand there and watch the surface of the water, you can't stop yourself from thinking about all the good people you lost during the war. But you stop yourself from thinking anymore on it when you come to think about the boy who ended it.

With a sigh, you lower your arms to your sides and continue to stare at the waters reflection. For the first time you notice that your hair isn't up on its normal constraint, but down around your waist. You can't bring yourself to care; instead you go back to thinking.

After a while you feel eyes on your back, but you don't you feel eyes on your back, but you don't turn around. You stand there and wait to see if they will turn away and walk back up to the Great Hall, or if they will continue walking down to where you stand. Not long later and you have your answer. They walk down in silence and stand next to you.

Neither of you speak. You continue to watch the water, while they watch the leaves dance in the wind. Once you realize who's standing beside you, you go back to thinking about how it all ended. As you think about it, you notice out of the corner of your eye that they had unfolded their arms. For a second you wonder what they're going to do, but your answer comes sooner then you thinking the form of them taking your own hand in theirs.

You turn to look at them, but they continue to watch the leaves. Slowly you turn back to the water and squeeze their hand. They tighten their grip in return and remain silent.

Feeling them squeeze your hand affectionately, you quickly loose the fight with your tears. Feeling the first one roll over the edge of your eye and over your cheek bone, you lose what control you have left, but you try to keep quiet anyway. You know that your breathing is louder then what it normally is when they turn to face you.

When they pull you into their arms in and awkward, yet comforting hug, you feel yourself finally snap. As you cry into his shoulder, you know what their thinking. Their thinking that they have never seen you cry, which only makes you cry even harder before you start to calm down. You know that once they've realized that you've stopped shaking from the force of your crying, they'll pull away, and they don't disappoint.

"No. Please."

You feel them hesitate at your plea, but they pull you back tightly.

Feeling them hold you securely for as long as you want, you feel your confidence come back. You pull away as you wipe away the tears and laugh.

"Thank you Harry."

They smile and shake their head. "We all need someone to cry on Professor."

"Minerva." You say and turn back to gaze at the water.

You see them blink in surprise at your correction. "Ah, Min-Minerva?"

You turn back to face him and hold out your hand with a smile. "Minerva McGonagall."

They take your hand and shake it firmly. "Harry. Just Harry."

You feel your smile widen as they smile back. You know that you've been standing there for the beginning of a great friendship.


	4. Minerva

I stand here at the black lake, while my colleagues and 'friends' celebrate up in the Great Hall. With the fall of Voldemort, I refuse to call him Lord, it seems that no one remembers the people who have fallen today. I cross my arms and stare into the shallow water lapping at my feet. It feels like I've been standing here for hours, but I know it's only been thirty minutes in reality.

I think about everything that has happened on this day, but what stays at the forefront of my mind is all the people who had laid down their lives for this freedom. Remus, the lonely werewolf who had just found love with Nymphadora Tonks and becoming a father in such a short space of time. Colin Creevey, one of your own Gryffindor's. Fred Weasley, the other half of George Weasley, also known as Gred and Forge. But as I thought about the young Gryffindor's, past and present that have lost their lives, the thought of one young man with unruly black hair, sneaks into my thought. I stop thinking. I don't want to think about what he had to go through to be able to finish of one of the most evil man in the world.

Sighing, I lower my arms to my side and stare harder into the water. I can see my reflection. My hair isn't up in its customary bun, but hanging down at my waist. I don't care. I start to think about how things would have turned out if he hadn't been able to…

After a while, I can feel someone watching me, but I don't turn around. If it was a Death Eater, they would have already have finished me off. I wait and see if they decide to turn around and go back up to the castle to continue celebrating. Not long after, whoever it is, walks down the last steps and stands beside you in silence.

We don't speak. While they look at the leaves dancing in the wind, I watch the water. Upon realizing who I'm standing next to, the thought of how it all ended creeps back into my mind. I can't help but think about it, for the past three years, Voldemort had become the threat again. While I think, the person beside me lower their arms to their sides as well and I wonder what they're doing. I don't have to wait long to get my answer.

They reach out and take my hand in their own.

I look at him, be he continues to watch the leaves like before. Slowly, I look back to the water, giving his hand a small squeeze. I get one in return, but we still stay silent.

Just from the small touch, I lose the fight with my emotions and tear run freely down my cheeks. I try to keep quiet, but my breathing gets louder and he looks at me.

As he pulls me into a hug, his arms are around my waist awkwardly, but it's still comforting. I snap. I cry into his shoulder and think to myself that once it's all over and done with, all their respect for me will be gone. After a while, I begin to calm down. I know that once he realizes that I've stopped shaking from my crying, he'll pull away. When he does, I say the first thing that comes to my mind.

"No. Please."

He hesitates, but then brings me back into a tighter hug then before. This one is less awkward then before.

As he holds me, I can feel my confidence slowly building its self back up. I pull away slowly and wipe the tears from my eyes with a small laugh.

"Thank you Harry."

He smiles and shakes his head. "We all need someone to cry on Professor."

"Minerva." I say and turn back to gaze at the water.

I see them blink in surprise at my correction. "Ah, Min-Minerva?"

I turn back to face him and held out my hand with a smile. "Minerva McGonagall."

He takes it and shakes it firmly. "Harry. Just Harry."

I smile brightly as he smiles back. From this moment on, I know Harry and I will become great friends.


	5. Greatness

Slowly Harry made his way down the path he had walked many times. His shoulders were tense, as if he was expecting someone to jump out and attack him. As he walked, he thought about how he felt now that Voldemort was gone. He thought that he would be overjoyed at the fact, that finally, finally he was vanquished. Gone, forever. But no. Too many had died in the war, and that little fact crushed whatever happiness he felt. And because of that, he just wanted to be alone, leave behind all of the stares he was getting, escape from the sound of people grieving for loved ones.

Stepping down off of the last step, he finally looked up to see his destination, only to stop when he noticed the lone figure standing where you wished you were. Standing just beyond the reach of the water, they neither looked up nor acknowledged his presence.

Minutes later, Harry started walking again. He walking across the small patch of grass to the edge of the lake and stopped beside her. Neither one of them spoke, and Harry was okay with that. He watched as the leaves moved with the wind, but watched her out of the corner of his eye. She hadn't moved since he had spotted her. Inhaling deeply, Harry allowed his thoughts to run wild, except they turned to what had transpired since he had come to Hogwarts. He had been through so much.

And just when that thought sunk in, he realized that the woman beside him had been through so much more than him, having lived through two wars. Slowly, he lowered his arms to his side and reached out for her hand, grasping it tightly in his own.

She turned to look at him, but he just continued to watch the leaves sway in the wind. Slowly, she turned back to watch the water at her feet as she squeezed his hand. Harry tightened his hold on her hand, and continued to stand in silence.

After several moments, Harry heard her breathing start to come in quicker, short breaths. Turning, he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks and falling from her jaw. Reacting purely on instinct, he pulled her into his arms and held her as if she was made off glass, even though she was clinging to him as if her life depended on it.

As he held her, Harry realized that not one, in the seven years he had gone to school with her, had he ever seen her cry. At that realization, it struck him that for her to allow him to see her like this, she must trust him very much.

Not long after, he felt her body slowly stop its shaking from her sobbing. He moved to pull away, but stops when she whispers into his shoulder.

"No. Please."

He hesitated at her plea, but after a few seconds, he gave in and pulled her against him tightly.

After what felt like hour, but was really just a few minutes, she pulled back and wiped away the last few tears that still sat on her cheeks. Looking at him, she laughed nervously as she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Thank you Harry."

Harry smiled and shook his head. "We all need someone to cry on Professor."

"Minerva." She said, turning back to the water.

"Ah, Min-Minerva?" He stammered in surprise.

Turning around again, she offered on of her rare smiles. "Minerva McGonagall." She said, holding her hand out.

Arching his eyebrow, he reached out and shook her hand firmly. "Harry. Just Harry."

They smile at each other and turn back to watch the sun rise over the lake. Both thinking that their new found friendship was something of greatness.


End file.
